Prevalence of urinary incontinence and related risk factors in community-dwelling elderly

Abstract

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is the involuntary loss of urine. The prevalence of UI increases with age. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of UI among elderly of both the genders and related factors in community-dwelling elderly. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 967 elderly to determine the prevalence of UI among them using personal information form and the urogenital distress inventory-6 (UDI-6), incontinence impact questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7), geriatric depression scale (GDS), and the World Health Organization quality of life instrument-older adults modules. Results: UI was found to be more prevalent in women (63.3%) than in men (45.1%) (P < 0.001). The UDI-6 median score was 6/18 for women and 5/18 for men (P < 0.05). The IIQ-7 median score was 4/21 for women and 3/21 for men (P ˃ 0.05). The prevalence of depressive mood was greater in women (34.2%) than in men (15.9%) (P < 0.001). Significant positive correlation was noted among the UDI-6, IIQ-7, and GDS scores in both genders (P < 0.01). In uni-multivariate analysis, depressive mood in both genders was the significant determinant of UI. Coronary heart disease and hyperlipidemia in women were significant independent risk factors, whereas high blood pressure in man. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-reported UI and its subtypes was found to be common in both the genders of elderly, with much greater prevalence in women; some of our results were even greater than those reported at the local and international levels for both the genders.